Made New
“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. The Lord is my portion, says my soul, therefore I will hope in him.” (Lamentations 3:23)
God is a restorer. He redefines what was into what it is and what it will be. He transforms, renews, and rebuilds. This often transpires through struggle. The caterpillar is made new through the struggle of the cocoon. There is no butterfly without the struggle. The global flood of Genesis 6-9 was an act of judgment, yet it provided what was necessary for a new opportunity for the totality of creation. God’s mercies were made new even in judgment. Joseph, the loved son of Jacob, encountered great disappointment and struggle. But God remembered Joseph and transformed him into an Egyptian leader to preserve the nation of Israel. The resurrected Jesus shone as a bright light to Saul, leaving him blind. Saul was made new and was given a new name (Paul) by which he would proclaim the majesty and wonder of Jesus. What Paul had been did not define him for life. The mercies of God transformed him into a new creation.
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” (2 Corinthians 5:17)
On a recent river trip, I was talking with a friend who had made some choices that had created some real life struggle. He was expressing the steps he had recently taken in an attempt to make a new life for himself; one that would be better than what had been before. As a form of encouragement, I reminded him that what we were does not have to define who we are or what we will be. He took a deep breath of hope at the thought of that truth.
Many people observe our world today with the assumption that it has always been the same and always will be the same. This is called the uniformitarian model. We are only capable of observing a brief snapshot of a small percentage of the earth. Yet the arrogance of man determines that all of history (and the future) is defined by that snapshot. The geological dating process observes a rock within the laboratory for the briefest of moments. That glimpse is used to determine the length and breadth of the life of the rock. How can this be? Can I examine a single piece of a million-piece puzzle and confidently determine the details of the entire puzzle? No, we cannot do that of the earth any more than we can do that of each other. Our world shows the scars and the newness of the miraculous weaving of justice and mercy by an omnipotent, omniscient, and loving God. This is a reflection of our own lives. We bear the scars of our rebellion against God. Yet for every scar, there is the opportunity for new creation through the blood of Jesus, the Christ. God has not left us without hope. Who we were is not who we are and does not determine who we will be. We are not defined by our mistakes, but by the redeeming blood of Christ!
“Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is through his flesh, and since we have a great high priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.” (Hebrews 10:19-23)
Praiseallujiah!
Jon
